Phalanx class
in the Lisbon Fleet Yards | Affiliation = Federation Starfleet | Type = heavy cruiser | }} | Service period = 24th century | Length = 591 meters | Width = 222 meters | Height = 91 meters | Mass = 3,450,000 metric tons | Decks = 23 | Crew = 585 plus 800 passengers, 6000 (evac. limit) | Auxiliary Craft = 10 to 16 Federation shuttlecraft, 3 runabouts, 134 escape pods | Defences = conformal deflector shield grid, ablative armor | Speed = Warp 9.2 | Maxspeed = Warp 9.975 | Cruspeed = Warp 6 | Armaments = 11 Type-XII phaser arrays, 2 forward pulse phaser phaser cannons, 5 photon torpedo launchers (2 forward, 3 aft), 1 forward quantum torpedo launcher | altimage = | Caption2 = The engaged in the Battle of Hell's Mouth }} The Phalanx-class was a large Federation starship class in service to Starfleet in the late-24th century. ( }}) :The ''Phalanx class was designed by digital artist D. M. Phoenix.'' Design The class appeared to be an intermediary between the and the , although there were design cues from the , too. It had a Sovereign-style primary hull with a secondary navigational deflector set in the fore dorsal surface. The Sovereign-style connecting dorsal swept back and down to a long, sleek secondary hull with a flared sensor array running horizontally to the nacelle pylons. At the prow was a compact Galaxy-style deflector dish, and astern, at the tip of the undercut, was a structure similar to the refit Ambassador-class 's ventral shuttlebay. The two bulky, Galaxy-style warp nacelles were mounted on pylons that swept back from the hull horizontally before jutting forward slightly, similar to a starship's. Unlike most Starfleet vessels, the Phalanx-class had two warp cores, a configuration that made the vessel extremely fast at warp speeds, but at a trade-off: the additional reactants consumed by the second core tended to limit the class's range to relatively close to Federation space. While this made the class somewhat ill-suited for long-range exploration missions, it did make for an ideal rapid response vessel. Having traded range for power and speed, the Phalanx class was initially ill-suited for deep space exploratory assignments, but was shown to excel at diplomatic and humanitarian missions, as well as peacekeeping assignments along the borders of the Federation. Ships of this class were typically deployed within one-thousand light-years of Federation space. ( ) Specifications The Phalanx-class was equipped with two Mk XXIV warp cores, 11 Type-XII phaser arrays and 134 Sovereign-type escape pods. ( | | | }}) History Initially conceived as a potential replacement for the aging ''Excelsior'' class as Starfleet's "backbone," the Phalanx Class Development Project was forced to shift focus after the Battle of Wolf 359. This led to "bold leaps" in defensive and propulsion technologies. The prototype NX-74998 was rushed into production, developed in a joint project between the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, Starfleet Tactical and a private company, Magnus Heavy Industries. ( ) Initially laid down in 2368, the was officially commissioned just three years later in 2371. She was subsequently assigned to the Federation-Klingon border, in order to restore tactical balance in the region following skirmishes provoked by the Kinshaya. Her designated homeport during that time was Sherman's Planet. ( }}, ) Two more ships soon entered service, the , and the . These first three Phalanx-class vessels saw action during a period of renewed conflict with the Klingon Empire, another Borg incursion, and ultimately the Dominion War itself. All three starships served with distinction during this period, acknowledged for their durability and tactical prowess, even in light of sustaining critical damage on numerous occasions. Additional vessels of the class were laid down during the war, but with limited resources, construction was slowed until after the war's end in 2375. Post-war refits for the class resulted in improved engine fuel efficiency, which extended its operational range far beyond its initially limited parameters. Accordingly, Phalanx class vessels began to operate far outside the confines of Federation territory, expanding the frontiers of known space. ( ) Known vessels Appendices Connections References de:Phalanx-Klasse Category:Federation starship classes